Northern Policy Institute talks Ring of Fire infrastructure

The fledgling Northern Policy Institute [NPI] will soon release research on the Ring of Fire that deals with issues such as road access versus rail access to the mining region.

The think-tank was established to do independent studies on big issues affecting northern Ontario.

I've had opportunity ... to hear [Matawa First Nations negotiator] Bob Rae talking about investing in infrastructure and talking about it not for the purposes of accessing the resource, but for the purposes of meeting the obligations that we as a society have to those communities, said NPI president CharlesCirtwill.

So that's a conversation we have to have. What are the criteria that we should be using to make the choices?"

The institute will also examine a host of other issues, from education to the minimum wage, Cirtwill said.

The institute is a not-for-profit organization, funded by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and has offices in Thunder Bay and Sudbury.